Results of the 2014 Mexico-US Screenplay Treatment Competition

The Latin American Training Center-LATC announces the winners of the 2014 Mexico-US Screenplay Treatment Competition, which aims to encourage co-productions of feature films (fiction or documentaries) between Mexico and the US, to promote location shooting in borders states and as well as to help new writers find success in the film and entertainment industries of both countries.

The treatments were judged by a Selection Committee composed by professionals from the supporting organizations, namely: Octavio Marin, from NALIP (Los Angeles), Kaitlin McNally Murphy, from the Spanish and Portuguese Department of The University of Arizona (Tucson), Freddy Cabral Porchas, from Sonora Turismo (Hermosillo), Shelli Hall and Felipe García, from Film Tucson (Tucson), and Kate Lyra, from LATC.

The results of the selection process provide for five finalists and the two winners from each country. The first-place winner from Mexico is Carmen Pedraza, from Mexico City, with the treatment “Persiguiendo Trenes”, and the first-place winner from the United States is Nicolas Simonin, from Los Angeles, with the treatment “Ixchel”.

Below is the complete list of finalists from each country, according to their classification.

The first-place winning screenplay treatment from each country will receive a US$500 cash award from LATC, toward development of the screenplays, a Gift Certificate for digital download of Final Draft 9 screenwriting software, and a NALIP complimentary (1-year) membership! In addition, the two winning treatments and the four runners up, from both Mexico and the US, will be made available to production companies on both sides of the border for possible acquisition, development and/or production. They will also receive a copy of the LATC publication, Latin American Cinema Today: The Director’s Perspective.

The 2014 Mexico-US Screenplay Treatment Competition was open to filmmakers and screenwriters, over 18 years of age, with a university degree in any field, citizens or residents of Mexico or US, without any feature film produced to date. It was organized by the Latin American Training Center, with support by the following entities:
• The Tucson Film Office
• The University of Arizona Spanish and Portuguese Department
• Final Draft Screenwriting Software
• National Association of Latino Independent Producers – NALIP
• Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara – FICG 29
• Sonora Turismo and Film Commission